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OF UNDERSTANDING. FOR ASAPH. 77. Give heed, O my people, to my law; incline your ear to the words of my mouth. Urging us toward the understanding of what is contained therein, the Word made the inscription "Of Understanding"; for we need this for the pursuit of the proposed meaning. First, then, one might reasonably ask, whose person is it that says at the beginning, Give heed, O my people, to my law; incline your ear to the words of my mouth. For it is fitting for neither Asaph nor David to say these things, since they have not become lawgivers; nor was it proper for either Asaph or David to say, your ear to the words of my mouth; for they did not offer their own words, but were ministering to the will of the divine Spirit. Therefore it is inscribed "Of Understanding," so that we might understand who it is that says these things, and who his people are, and what the law is; for it seems to be another besides that of Moses. But the Gospel resolves these things, in which it is said: All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and without a parable he did not speak to them, so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying: I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation. Through which prophet were these things said, if not through the aforementioned Asaph? Some, not understanding this, added in the Gospel, "through Isaiah the prophet"; but in the accurate copies, without the addition of "through Isaiah," it is simply said thus: So that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying: I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation, which indeed are found in the preceding texts, but not in the prophecy of Isaiah. Therefore, from the Gospel citation, it would be the Savior, and no other, who says in his own person in the present passage: Give heed, O my people, to my law. And so that we might understand him, he made the inscription "Of Understanding"; so that we should consider what is said to be neither a psalm nor an ode nor any such thing 23.904 but the teaching of Christ to his own people, that is, his Church, distinguishing the transgressions of the Jewish nation. And you will understand his people to be different from the one accused in what follows, by comparing to these the prophecy of Zechariah, through which it is said: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; proclaim, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, I am coming, and I will dwell in your midst, says the Lord. And many nations shall flee for refuge to the Lord, and they shall be to me a people, and I will be to them a God. And you shall know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. For behold in these things, how the Lord confesses that he himself was sent by another Lord Almighty, and promises to gather for himself a people from all the nations. Therefore, this very Word of God addressed the people from the nations, saying: Give heed, my people, to my law. And he teaches that his law is the Gospel, concerning which Isaiah also prophesied, saying: For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, and he shall judge between the nations. And this Jeremiah also called a new covenant, saying: Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, and I will make a new covenant, not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers. And Isaiah again cried out concerning the Savior, saying: Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased. He shall bring forth judgment to the nations. He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, but he will bring forth judgment in truth. He will shine forth and will not be crushed, until he has established judgment on the earth; and in his name the nations will hope. For instead of, and in his name

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ΣΥΝΕΣΕΩΣ ΤΩ ΑΣΑΦ. ΟΖʹ. Προσέχετε, λαός μου, τὸν νόμον μου· κλίνατε τὸ οὖς ὑμῶν εἰς τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ στόματός μου. Παρορμῶν ἡμᾶς ὁ λόγος ἐπὶ τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν ἐμφερομένων, Συνέσεως τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν ἐποιήσατο· ταύτης γὰρ δεόμεθα εἰς θήραν τῆς προκειμένης διανοίας. Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ζητήσειεν ἄν τις εὐλόγως, τίνος πρόσωπον τυγχάνει τὸ φάσκον ἐν ἀρχῇ, Προσέχετε, λαός μου, τὸν νόμον μου· κλίνατε τὸ οὖς ὑμῶν εἰς τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ στόματός μου. Οὔτε γὰρ τῷ Ἀσὰφ οὔτε τῷ ∆αυῒδ ἁρμόζει ταῦτα λέγειν· ἐπεὶ μὴ νομοθέται γεγόνασιν οὗτοι· οὔτε τὸ, Οὖς ὑμῶν εἰς τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ στόματός μου, ἔπρεπε λέγειν ἤτοι τὸν Ἀσὰφ, ἢ τὸν ∆αυΐδ· οὐ γὰρ οἰκεῖα ῥήματα προσέφερον, τῇ δὲ τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος βουλῇ διηκονοῦντο. ∆ιὸ συνέσεως ἐπιγέγραπται, ὡς ἂν συνῶμεν τίς τέ ἐστιν ὁ ταῦτα λέγων, καὶ τίς ὁ λαὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ τίς ὁ νόμος· ἕτερος γὰρ ἔοικεν εἶναι παρὰ τὸν Μωϋσέως. Ταῦτα δ' ἐπιλύεται τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ἐν ᾧ εἴρηται· Ταῦτα πάντα ἐλάλησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν παραβολαῖς τοῖς ὄχλοις, καὶ χωρὶς παραβολῆς οὐκ ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς· ὅπως πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Ἀνοίξω ἐν παραβολαῖς τὸ στόμα μου· ἐρεύξομαι κεκρυμμένα ἀπὸ καταβολῆς. ∆ιὰ ποίου δὲ προφήτου ταῦτα εἴρητο ἢ διὰ τοῦ προκειμένου Ἀσάφ; Ὃ μὴ συνιέντες τινὲς, προσέθηκαν ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ τὸ, διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου· ἐν δέ γε τοῖς ἀκριβέσιν ἀντιγράφοις ἄνευ τῆς προσθήκης τῆς διὰ Ἡσαΐου, ἁπλῶς οὕτως εἴρηται· Ὅπως πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Ἀνοίξω ἐν παραβολαῖς τὸ στόμα μου· ἐρεύξομαι κεκρυμμένα ἀπὸ καταβολῆς, ἃ δὴ φέρεται ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις, οὐ μὴν ἐν τῇ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου προφητείᾳ. Οὐκοῦν ἐκ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς παραθέσεως ὁ Σωτὴρ ἂν εἴη, καὶ οὐδὲ ἄλλος, ὁ ἐξ οἰκείου προσώπου φάσκων ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος τό· Προσέχετε, λαός μου, τὸν νόμον μου. Ἵνα δὲ συνῶμεν αὐτὸν, συνέσεως τὴν προγραφὴν ἐποιήσατο· ὡς μήτε ψαλμὸν μήτε ᾠδὴν μήτε τι τοιοῦτον 23.904 νομίζειν εἶναι τὰ λεγόμενα, ἀλλὰ Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίαν πρὸς τὸν αὐτοῦ λαὸν, δηλαδὴ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν αὐτοῦ περὶ τῶν παρανομημάτων τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους διαστελλομένου. Νοήσεις δὲ τὸν αὐτοῦ λαὸν ἕτερον ὄντα παρὰ τὸν ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς κατηγορούμενον, τὴν Ζαχαρίου προφητείαν τούτοις παραθεὶς, δι' ἧς εἴρηται· Χαῖρε σφόδρα, θύγατερ Σιὼν, κήρυττε, θύγατερ Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἔρχομαι, καὶ κατασκηνώσω ἐν μέσῳ σου, λέγει Κύριος. Καὶ καταφεύξονται ἔθνη πολλὰ ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἔσονταί μοι εἰς λαὸν, κἀγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς εἰς Θεόν. Καὶ γνώσεσθε, ὅτι Κύριος παντοκράτωρ ἐξαπέσταλκέ με πρὸς ὑμᾶς Θέα γὰρ ἐν τούτοις, ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἀπεστάλθαι ἑαυτὸν ὁμολογεῖ ὑφ' ἑτέρου Κυρίου παντοκράτορος, ἑαυτῷ τε ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν συνάξειν ἐπαγγέλλεται λαόν. Αὐτὸς οὖν οὗτος ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος τῷ ἐξ ἐθνῶν λαῷ προσεφώνει λέγων· Προσέχετε λαός μου, τὸν νόμον μου. Νόμον δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον εἶναι διδάσκει, περὶ οὗ καὶ Ἡσαΐας ἐθέσπιζε λέγων· Ἐκ γὰρ Σιὼν ἐξελεύσεται νόμος, καὶ λόγος Κυρίου ἐξ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ κρινεῖ ἀναμέσον τῶν ἐθνῶν. Τοῦτον δὲ καὶ Ἱερεμίας διαθήκην καινὴν ὠνόμασεν εἰπών· Ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ διαθήσομαι ∆ιαθήκην καινὴν, οὐ κατὰ τὴν διαθήκην ἣν διεθέμην τοῖς πατράσιν αὐτῶν Καὶ Ἡσαΐας δὲ πάλιν περὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἀνεφώνει λέγων· Ἰδοὺ ὁ παῖς μου ὃν ᾑρέτισα, ὁ ἐκλεκτός μου· προσεδέξατο αὐτὸν ἡ ψυχή μου. Κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐξοίσει. Οὐκ ἐρίσει, οὐδὲ κραυγάσει, οὐδὲ ἀκουσθήσεται ἔξω ἡ φωνὴ αὐτοῦ. Κάλαμον συντεθλασμένον οὐ κατεάξει, καὶ λίνον τυφόμενον οὐ σβέσει· ἀλλ' εἰς ἀλήθειαν ἐξοίσει κρίσιν ἀναλάμψει καὶ οὐ θραυσθήσεται, ἕως ἂν θῇ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κρίσιν· καὶ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσι. Ἀντὶ γὰρ τοῦ, καὶ τῷ ὀνόματι